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The primary purpose of Beta Features is to allow for Wikimedia designers and engineers (from the Wikimedia Foundation and community alike) to roll out technical improvements in an environment where large numbers of users can test, give feedback, and use these features in real-world settings. The secondary purpose of Beta Features is to provide a path so that helpful, well-designed gadgets and other community code can be integrated into core after vetting, testing, and reviewing by Wikimedia Design and Engineering.

The code to provide features like this is in an extension, BetaFeatures. Beta Features' preferences are available in a Preferences tab, accessible via the personal bar at the top of the page for all logged-in users.

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To use either function, users should select the appropriate checkbox, then click “Cadw,” which will save their Beta Features preferences (like with other preferences). Every now and then new features are made available to users, as outlined at Beta Features/Roadmap.

Nodweddion Beta Cyfoes

New wikitext mode (lead: James Forrester) – Enable the new wikitext mode inside the visual editor. It has many of the tools present in the visual editor, uses a similar design, and allows better switching between the two.

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First, you should check that your code meets the following basic requirements:

Not significantly degrade site performance;

Not noticeably degrade perceived performance of the site, or the user's system;

Not crash the user's browser;

Not cause data loss, or corruption;

Pass basic interoperability with other Beta Features features; and[issue 2]

Contribute positively to the user's experience of the site, and be additive in nature. E.g. Beta Features cannot be used to remove site features or functionality without adding features meant to replace what was removed.

You should expect to test your new feature on the WMF pre-deploy beta server for at least one week before deploying to production. This testing period is intended to catch any serious bugs before jeopardizing users on production.

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The appearance of the “Nodweddion beta” tab in Preferences is purposefully different, to both inspire interest and propose a departure from the standard layout and complexity of the existing user preferences.

Here is a screenshot of the “Nodweddion beta” preferences tab:

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↑Note that this currently doesn't enroll users until they visit the Preferences page. (phab:T64815)

↑This is not to say that interoperability is a blocker. Interoperability issues need to be surfaced, and blocker-ness will be determined on a case-by-case basis.